


Why's she acting so strange?

by when_the_planets_align



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Angst, Barbara Maitland headcanon, Delia Deetz headcanon, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda?????, Light Angst, Miscarriage, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Well - Freeform, bro idk, but it doesn't explain the process, delia is pregnant, its only a mention chill, she talks about it, this is just one big headcanon fest tbh, yall idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 03:04:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21190514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_the_planets_align/pseuds/when_the_planets_align
Summary: In which Delia announces she is, in fact, pregnant, and Barbara reacts in a way no one was expecting her to. How will the two friends make up, and how much does Delia actually know about her closest (dead) friend?....This is based heavily on headcanon, and takes place sometime post-canon





	1. Tuesday Night-The Big Reveal

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! This is my first ever fic, so PLEASE give me some feedback!! I'd love to hear it.

Barbara loved Lydia. It was no mystery, really, Barbara was constantly around her, helping her with homework, talking to her about her day at school, or just on the couch reading a book next to her. But no one understood exactly why Barbara had this infatuation with her, besides the fact that Lydia was the closest to a daughter the ghost would ever get. Nonetheless, Lydia enjoyed talking with Barbara, and didn’t at all mind that she acted as yet another mother to her. Likewise, Barbara enjoyed acting like a second mother to the goth teen.

Barbara had always been an upbeat person, optimistic and the one who could always break the tension in a room, even better than Delia sometimes. Speaking of Delia, she and the ghost became incredibly close over the course of only a few weeks. So it was odd, incredibly, amazingly, and strangely odd, when Delia announced at the dinner table one Tuesday evening that she was, in fact, 8 weeks pregnant, only to have Barbara up and leave the table, not being seen from the attic until late the next morning.

Lydia nearly spat out her milk when she heard her step-mom speak those words.

“You’re what?” She managed to choke out as she coughed into her sleeve. It was no unknown fact that her father and Delia were trying to have a child together. They’d discussed it many times, but Lydia didn’t think they’d actually go through with it. It was strange to her that she’d, in nine months, have a half-sibling, of whom she’d most definitely have to look after a lot. She wasn't looking forward to it.

Adam’s eyebrows rose in shock, and then a warm and welcoming smile spread across his face. Beetlejuice had around the same reaction as Lydia, except he actually spat out his milk. Barbara’s face was unreadable, but only for a second before her face sported a small smile, uncharacteristically small and lacking true happiness. Before Delia could mention it, Beetlejuice slammed his glass on the table, making it shake from the force.

“So! Chuck and Delia finally made it happen! Whatcha gonna name it, huh? Is it gonna be named after me? Because that’d be so cool, can you imagine? A little spawn of Satan, crawling around on all fours, shooting fire out its ass, wreaking havoc-” The demon was cut off by Delia, squealing and flailing her arms about.

“Stop! Stop! We haven’t decided on names or anything yet!” She yelled with a giggle, shaking her head and taking a seat once again.

“Ugh, lame,” the demon mumbled as he took a long swig of his glass of milk, finishing it up.

Delia averted her attention to the Maitlands, where Adam was waiting patiently to speak. “Delia! That’s...that’s amazing! I don’t know what to say besides congratulations!’ He smiled wide, his arms up at his sides, moving frantically as he tried to contain his joy.

Delia’s gaze landed upon the woman next to him, sitting quietly. Delia’s smile fell from her lips as a look of concern took its place. Barbara seemed to be lost in her own world, stabbing at her food and an unreadable expression on her face. She was not sporting her usual wide, bright smile Delia had expected to see plastered on her face as she announced the news.

“Barbara?” Delia said lightly, not sure what was going on. The ghost snapped her head up, not to Delia, but to the wall in front of her. Her hands clutched her stomach as she slid the chair out from the table.

“I...I don’t feel so good,” was all she said before she quickly left the table and made her way down the hall and up the stairs. The table sat in stunned silence as they followed her footsteps up into the attic, and listened to the door shut behind her. That was not the reaction any of them had expected from her. Suddenly, all the attention was now on Adam, looking for a possible explanation to his wife’s strange behavior. He seemed to notice and went wide-eyed as he stuttered out a response.

“Uh, I, I’m not exactly sure what just happened. But, I do know we should probably let her be for awhile. I’ll check on her later,” Delia thought there was something Adam was definitely hiding as he averted his gaze to his meal and began to eat again. She didn’t press it, though. It clearly wasn’t her business, and she was sure Barbara would explain on her own terms, when she was ready. She sighed, and went back to eating her own meal, and soon, everyone else at the table did the same. The silence that followed the rest of the dinner was so thick she could drown in it.

......

Delia did not get an explanation from Barbara. She waited, the day after the big announcement, thinking maybe she’ll explain tomorrow. And then when that didn’t happen, she waited for the next day. And the next. It’d been almost four days of Barbara avoiding Delia and hiding in the attic until Delia decided she’d better confront her herself. Luckily, she didn’t have to bang on her door to get her to talk, because as she made her way up the stairs to the second floor, Barbara was walking down the steps.

“Barbara! There you are! I was just coming to talk to you,” the redhead smiled, looking up at the blonde ghost, who, in return, smiled back at her.

The ghost laughed dryly, before walking down the stairs as she had originally planned to. “Funny! I was actually looking for you, too. Let’s talk in the kitchen?” But it really wasn’t a question, as the pair made their way down the steps in silence, a thousand words wanting to spill past their lips, but none of them having the bravery to say anything. They made their way into the kitchen, and Barbara pulled out a chair and sat down. Delia copied her action, sitting in the chair next to her. They sat like that for awhile, neither of them saying anything, until Barbara sighed and cupped her hands around Delia’s. She stared into her eyes for a few moments before turning her head to the side as she sighed once again.

“Delia, I’m...incredibly sorry for how I acted on Tuesday. And for how I’ve been acting for the past couple of days. It was dumb of me, and I mean it when I say I’m overjoyed to hear that you and Charles are having a child together, after wanting one for so long. Please, excuse my behavior of before. I promise I won’t let my own emotions take over in this happy moment of yours,” Barbara squeezed her hand and smiled sorrowfully. Delia had no idea what the last part meant. Her emotions take over? Emotions about what? She didn’t have time to think about it, because Barbara was waiting for a response. Delia smiled back at her, tilting her head a bit to the side.

“Barbara, it’s perfectly fine. I’m just confused, that’s all. And concerned. It was extremely unlike you, and I was worried I did something wrong. Would you mind telling me what...that...was all about?” She waited patiently as Barbara sucked in her breath and look everywhere but Delia’s face. After a moment of hesitation, she let out her breath and responded.

“It’s really nothing, just me overreacting as I always do,” she forced a laugh and then continued. “Really, Delia, it’s nothing. Don’t be worried about me, okay? You should be focused on you, anyways. You have a baby coming! That’s exciting. And scary. And very, very tiring. So please, all I ask of you is to just, forget all this happened. Okay?” Barbara was practically begging for Delia to just drop the topic, and she knew she wasn’t going to get an answer out of Barbara anytime soon. So, she just smiled and nodded her head, and immediately Barbara let out a breath she’d been holding and her tensed body relaxed.

“Thank you, Delia,” She said as hugged her friend. Delia hugged her back, still worried as to what Barbara was hiding. The two unlatched from each other and Barbara had her usual wide, bright smile plastered on her face.

“Now, let’s go see what Lydia and that rat man is up to, shall we? I heard them discussing plans earlier when I got up, I’m curious to see if it’s a genuine thing, or some plan to wreak havoc,” she rose from her seat and started making her way down the hall. Delia followed, still confused and worried about her friend. Why was she acting so strange? And what could possibly be so bad that she wouldn’t even tell her best friend?


	2. A weight off her shoulders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara gives Delia a gift she wasn't expecting, and nearly has a breakdown during the entire process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gahhh!! I was actually able to finish this before the school week! This ones a longer than last chapter, but I don't think it drags on. :)

Five months later, and Barbara was still totally not fine. Of course, she never let anyone know that. To them, it was just a one time thing, a weird spout of unexplainable emotions. To them, Barbara had simply been thinking about other things at the announcement of the news, and had then avoided Delia because she felt guilty about acting the way she did. But there was so much more they didn’t know, so much more that Barbara wasn’t telling them, and Delia knew it was more than just a simple “caught in the moment” type of thing. But she didn’t push. She knew not to. Barbara would explain on her own terms, in her own way, and that’s exactly what she did.

…..

“Uh…...what?” Lydia scrunched up her nose, looking down at the English homework before her. Barbara sighed out a laugh before getting up out of her seat to stretch. They’d been doing this for the past fourty-five minutes, and Lydia seemed to be making no significant progress. Lydia’s strong suit wasn’t exactly in English and history, but rather in math and science. Lydia looked up at Barbara with a tired sigh, before smashing her head back on the table.

“How about you ask Delia when she gets home? She won’t be too long, and she’s better at explaining this than I am,” Barbara patted her head and felt sorry for the poor girl. She was nearly failing English, yet she was trying so hard. The only thing keeping her grade alive was extra credit work, but even that only gets you so far. Lydia hummed in response, but otherwise stayed where she was. 

Barbara made her way back upstairs, but not before sneaking another glance at the tired teen. She still hadn’t moved. Barbara chuckled to herself and continued to her destination, the attic. Once she made it to the attic door, she quietly knocked to make sure she didn’t walk in on anything private. After a minute of waiting and hearing no response, she figured Adam was somewhere else in the house, and made her way in. She was right. Not a soul to be seen, pun intended. Barbara sighed, happy that she finally had some time to herself. She walked over to the bed and flopped down, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath in. She stayed like that for awhile, before opening her eyes again and turning onto her back. She scanned the ceiling, noticing a small spider web in the corner. Oh well. She’d deal with it later. Barbara sat up and huffed, eyes scanning the room.

Her eyes locked onto an old crib way in the back, shoved behind a multitude of other things. Her breath hitched, and she sat still as a statue, staring at it. She slowly rose out of the bed, and quietly walked over to it. She stood in front of the thousands of boxes and junk in the way of her and the crib. She started moving boxes one by one off to the side, before she realized that that wouldn’t work. She’d have to move them into the middle of the room, out in the open. Barbara examined each object she took away from the pile, either smiling in fondness of the memories it held, or frowning and wondering why the hell she and Adam ever got it.

After many long minutes of moving boxes and questioning her life choices, there was finally a clear pathway to her and the crib. The ghost wrung her hands through her hair. What was she doing? She knew going to it would only make her sad, and then she’d really have a problem. But she hadn’t done all this work for nothing. Barbara took a deep breath in, and cautiously walked over to the crib, as if the floor might break and swallow her if she wasn’t careful. 

She peeked over the crib’s walls. In it lay two books, a rattle doll, a blanket, and picture frame with nothing in it. She took a step back, breathing in and looking up. Why was she doing this? Did she have to relive the moment in her life she’d repressed and forgotten? Tears welled up in her eyes as she forced her head to look down at the contents of the crib. It was like the guts of the thing, sprawled out and caked in dust due to negligence. She sucked in a breath, and, with shaky hands, reached for the top book. A photo album. But there were no pictures in it. She flipped through the empty pages with a shaky sigh, her vision blurring for a moment due to the tears threatening to fall down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, and continued to look through the rest of the guts of the crib.

She squeezed the soft, light blue blanket with her hand. The ghost wiped at her eyes again, before picking up the picture frame and smiling sadly at it. She huffed out a laugh and shook her head, questioning why the hell she thought this was a good idea. She set the frame back down and picked up the rattle doll. It had a rabbit’s head, and a soft, pink blanket to sport as a body. It no longer rattled. Probably due to age, she assumed. She piled it on top of the photo album she was still holding, and stroked its face.

She looked back down at the guts and reached for the other book before she was interrupted by a knock. Shit. She couldn’t allow her husband to see her like this. But she didn’t put to guts back into the crib. Instead she laid her hand going for the other book onto the side of the crib and waited for Adam to come in the attic on his own accord. When she heard the door open she didn’t turn around to greet her husband. She just stared at the giraffe and deer displayed on the cover of the children’s book she had originally planned to grab. 

Barbara heard a gasp, and then, a soft, “Barbara?” It was then she decided to turn her head to face her husband. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were raised up high in concern. Barbara gave a weak smile in return, not saying anything. A look of sadness overcame Adam’s surprised features and he slowly made his way over to his wife. She turned her attention back to the crib and picked up the children’s book she’d originally planned to grab. She felt an arm slip around her waist and a soft kiss land on her cheek. The couple stayed like that for awhile before Barbara drew in a shaky breath once more and sighed.

“I’m giving these to Delia,” her voice was barely above a whisper, and she thought at first Adam hadn’t heard her, but when he drew away from her body a bit, she knew he had.

Adam didn’t say anything at first, just stared at his wife in astonishment before finding the words to speak. “I, you’re, you’re gonna...what?” Barbara shook her head and managed a small smile, and then found the courage to face her husband. They locked eyes, and didn’t move for what felt like hours. Barbara finally untangled herself from her husband’s arms and walked over to the bed, where she placed the items in her arms down. She turned around to face Adam, who still sported a shocked expression on his face.

“I said, I’m giving these to Delia. I, er, we have no use for them. We’ll never have a use for them, Adam.” She huffed, and then picked up the guts of the crib again. She faced Adam one more time, and his expression softened. He walked over to her and put his hands gently on her arms. He gave her a kiss to the forehead and nodded his head. And without another word, Barbara left the attic and found her way downstairs. She hid the items behind her back and prayed that Delia was the only one making dinner tonight. 

…..

Thankfully, her prayers were answered, because as she entered the kitchen she found Delia humming to herself and chopping a pepper. When the redhead heard footsteps approaching, her head shot up to see Barbara, looking lost in thought, arms behind her back. The woman smiled, and tilted her head a bit. A signature move of hers.

“Barbara! I was beginning to wonder where you were. I’m making a vegan vegetable soup tonight! Wanna come help chop these carrots? Seems all I’ve been doing for the past ten minutes is chop, chop, chop!” Delia let out a warm laugh, which helped ease Barbara’s nerves. When Delia noticed Barbara’s rattled state, her expression changed to that of worry.

Before Delia could speak up, though, Barbara let out a sigh. “Actually, Delia, I wanted to talk to you about...something. Can the soup wait a few minutes? Or should I talk about this later?” Barbara made her way to the kitchen table, her hands still behind her back, out of Delia’s sight. Delia wiped her hands on a nearby towel and walked over to the table with a frown. What could it be this time? The ghost sported the same expression she had when she apologized a few months ago. Was it linked to that?

She didn’t have time to question before Barbara pulled two books and a rattle toy from behind her back and handed them to Delia. Barbara didn’t make eye contact, and felt hot tears well in her eyes. She heard a light gasp and a soft ‘oh’ before the objects left her hands and were now in Delia’s. She looked up to see Delia examine them with awe, and suddenly their eyes met. Delia looked back down at the objects in her hands and stumbled with her words before she was finally able to form a sentence.

“I, wh-, Barbara, I, I… where’d these come from?” Delia looked to be about crying too, thankful for the gifts she wasn’t expecting to receive.

Barbara ignored her question and with small breath, said, “There’s a crib in the attic that should be in perfect, stable condition I’d like to give to you, so, you know, you don’t have to worry about buying one.” Barbara wrung her hands together, over and over, to stop her from completely breaking down. 

Delia set the objects on the table and placed a hand on her stomach. “I, I don’t know what to say, I… Barbara?” She walked over to her friend, a tear rolling down the ghost’s cheek. Barbara sniffed, and for the second time that day, felt arms wrap around her. After a few moments of standing like, Delia gently shushing her and kissing her head lightly, the ghost unwrapped herself from her friend and took a seat. Delia did the same, sitting across from her and holding her hands. Once she gathered herself, Barbara began to speak in a shaky voice.

“Adam and I actually tried to have kids, y’know? And we actually got somewhere! Sure, we spent way too long worrying about what would be perfect for a child and whatnot, but we got somewhere,” her voice trailed off as another hot, steamy tear rolled down her cheek. Delia squeezed her hand, allowing her to continue.

“We searched all over the internet for tips, read countless books on parenting, looked at clothes, bought things for the child,” she gestured to the book and rattle toy next to them with her hand. “And I actually got pregnant. Delia, I actually got pregnant.” Their eyes met once again, and Delia knew exactly what Barbara was going to say before she actually said it.

“But the baby never made it past twenty weeks. Delia, we were devastated,” Barbara couldn’t take it any longer. She started crying, and Delia made her way next to her, and cradled her in her arms. Time seemed to stop as Barbara sobbed into Delia’s chest, and Delia did her best to keep herself together while trying to comfort the ghost in her arms. She rocked back and forth and didn’t stop, even when she felt Barbara’s tears seep through her dress and onto her skin. 

It felt like a millenia had passed when Barbara carefully untangled herself from her friend’s arms and wiped at her eyes. Delia waited patiently until Barbara huffed out a breath and smiled weakly at her.

“Dinner sounds delicious. I’m sure we wouldn’t want to keep it waiting, now would we?” Barbara looked up at Delia, and Delia returned it with a soft smile of her own. 

“Of course. When Charles gets home he’ll be hungry as ever. He called earlier, and did not at all sound happy to be staying later than usual working hours.” Delia squeezed Barbara’s hands she’d been holding and stood up. Barbara followed over to the island, where she grabbed a knife and picked up a carrot to start cutting. Delia watched her for a moment, seeing her body relax as she concentrated on the task before. Delia landed a soft kiss to her cheek before she went back to chopping her pepper. The two stayed like that, chopping and pouring the chopped vegetables into the boiling broth. When dinner came, the night was full of laughs and cheers and warm, warm smiles. Barbara no longer had to hide her not well being, because it was gone. Giving the gifts to Delia and telling her her ‘secret’ took a huge weight off her shoulders. Barbara couldn’t have been happier with her decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you guys think! Did you cry? I almost did while writing rip :,) Also thank you to everyone who commented! They really made my day and drove me to finish this quicker than I would've!!

**Author's Note:**

> Gaahhhhh! First chapter, done! I don't know when I'll get the next chapter up, but the story is probably gonna be over after the next one. Tell me what you thought! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Thought it was boring? Let me know! I really wanna hear your opinions!
> 
> Also next chapter will be a little heavier, so just be warned.


End file.
